The Seattle Mariners saw their bid to win the first American League pennant in franchise history end on Monday against the Blue Jays. And there were plenty of moments that Mariners players will surely look back on and pick apart.
But when it comes to Eugenio Suárez’s eighth-inning strikeout, he doesn’t really have much room to complain. And now, we know exactly what he told home-plate umpire Quinn Wolcott.
Facing Chris Bassitt with nobody on and one out, Suárez took a curveball that caught part of the zone for a third strike. And he was shocked by the call.
The Mariners third baseman was already making his way to first base for the walk before Wolcott’s call. And when the punchout came in, Suárez angrily got in the umpire’s face and raised issue with the lack of consistency. Suárez’s claim was that it was the same pitch Wolcott had already called a ball earlier in the at-bat. (Warning: Strong language in the tweet and video)
And while it was true that Wolcott called a similar pitch a ball in the at-bat, both pitches were actually in the strike zone. And had ABS challenges been available, Suárez still would have been called out on strikes. The initial missed call in the at-bat probably had more to do with Bassitt missing his target more than Wolcott’s lack of consistency.